Trap.



" Patented Jan. 30, I900 W. McCOY.

TRAP.

(Application filed Sept. 21, 1899.)

(No Model.)

of the trap.

I NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM MCCOY, OF WVARREN, ARKANSAS.

TRAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,476, dated January30, lOO. Application filed September 21, 1899. Serial No. 731,242. (Nomodel.)

To a. whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MCCOY, a citi- Zen of the United States,residing at Warren, in the county of Bradley and State of Arkansas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Traps; and I do declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as. will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in animal-traps; and the object isto improve the'construction and increase the efficiency To this end theinvention consists in certain features of construction and combinationof parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the same reference characters indicate thesame parts of the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved animal-trap as it appearswhen set. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the trap sprung. Fig. 3 is adetail view to illustrate the manner of setting the trap. Fig. 4 is asection through the clamp as it appears when employed to compress thesprings. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the free end of one ofthe springs. Fig. 6 shows another form of the teeth.

1 denotes the base-bar, to which the bracket 2 is fixed. The outer endof this bracket is turned vertically upward to form a support for thetrigger 3, which engages the usual bait-platform 4.

5 5 denote bifurcated standards fixed to the outer ends of the base-bar1 and in which the usual jaws 6 6 are hinged.

7 7 denote the counterpart springs, which close the jaws. The lower endsof the springs encompass the standards, and their free ends encompassthe jaws. The lower edges of the free ends of the springs are providedwith curved prongs or teeth 7 7, which intermesh when the trap issprung, and thus assist the jaws in securing the game. The bottom faceof the fixed end of each spring is formed with a countersunk recess 7and the upper face of the free end with a similar recess 7 so that whenit is desired to set the trap the clamps 8 8, which are attached to anyconvenient part of the trap proper by a short chain 9, are adjusted tothe springs by inserting the toes 8 in the recess 7 and the center-pointend 10 of the thumb-screws 10 in the recess 7 and by a propermanipulation of the screws the springs are compressed to permit the jawsto be opened and held in the set position by the trigger. The clamps arenow detached, and the trap is ready to receive the game.

While I have shown the springs provided with three teeth as the mediumnumber, only two will be required on small traps, such as are used forcoon and otter; but for larger traps for beaver and bear more teeth orspikes will be required in proportion to the size of the trap and game.

It will be noticed that the meeting edges of the jaws are cut away toleave a slot or between them when closed, as shown in Fig. 2, so thatthe leg or foot bones of the animal will not be crushed. The jaws beingsharp oval around, the springs press continuously to the center, thecurved teeth pulling the animals foot downward as the free ends of thesprings come nearer together.

The construction of the trap is such that it will catch in the paw belowthe wrist-joint. The teeth on the under side of the free ends of thesprings strike into the foot or paw before the jaws come to a close, andbeing sharp and,

curved downwardly they penetrate the foot and pull it down toward thecenter of the trap.

Should the animal gnaw off its foot up to the spike, there is still meatenough above the spikes to hold, and the leg-bone above the trap notbeingbroken by the jaws he cannot and will not gnaw off his leg abovethe jaws, nor can he pull it out of the trap.

The accompanying drawings show my invention in the best form now knownto me; but many changes in the details might be made within the skill ofa good mechanic without departing from the spirit of my invention as setforth in the claim at the end of this specification.

Having thus fully described the invention,

what is claimed, and desired to be secured by my hand in presence of twosubscribing wit- Letters Patent of the United States, is nesses.

The combination with the jaws and tri er mechanism, of the springs '7 7having th eir A Zi 5 free ends formed with the prongs 7' 7, sub-Witnesses:

stantially as shown and described. T. J. BRATTON, In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto set I. E. WALKER.

